williams



W, L. WILLIAMS. FOOTOR SHOE SGRAPER.

- No. 2 19. Imam-ed Mar. 29, 1859.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

W. L. WILLIAMS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FOOT-SCRAPER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 23,419, dated March 29, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that- I, V. L. VILLIAMS, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and Improved Foot or Shoe Scraper andCleaner; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a planor top View of the invention. Fig. 2, is an end view of the same.

Similar letters of reference denote like parts in both figures.

This invention consists in combining with a scraper plate a series ofbrushes so arranged that the action of the foot or shoe on the scraper,in cleaning the dirt from the sole, will actuate the brushes in such away that they will come in contact with and clean or brush off the dirtfrom the sides of the shoe and all around it, as is hereinafterdescribed.

To enable others to fully understand and construct my invention, I willproceed to describe it.

A, represents a cast iron basin which may be of oval or other form andhaving at its center two upright plates (1, a, bet-ween which a plate Bis loosely placed. The upper edge of this plate forms the scraper. andits lower edge rests on the lower parts of two bent levers C, C, whichhave their fulcra at 5, between the plates (1, a, one near each side,see Fig. 2. The upper end of each lever C, has a V-shaped brush rod D,placed loosely on it and secured by a nut c, and a spiral spring E, iswound around the upper part of each lever and connected therewith at oneend; the opposite ends being connected with the brush rods, as is shownat (Z.

To one end of the rods D brushes F, F, are attached, one to each, saidbrushes being so adjusted to their rods as to have their bristles in ahorizontal position. To the opposite ends of the rods similar brushesGr, G, are attached. The springs E, E, have a tendency to keep thebrushes G, G, in contact, as shown in Fig. 1.

Against the upper part of each bent lever C, a spiral spring H, bears.These springs are placed in guide rods 6, e; and they have a tendency tokeep the upper parts of the levers C, C, out from each other.

Just back of the scraper B, there is a box I, in which is placed a brushJ, which is permanently secured by screws 7'. All of the parts abovereferred to, except the brushes and the springs, may be of cast metal.

The operation is as follows: The sole and heel of the shoe is drawnacross the scraper B, in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 1.The scraper B takes the dirt from the sole, and the brush J cleans itmore perfectly, the sole of the shoe being of course drawn over bothsimultaneously. In drawing the shoe over the plate B, it is depressedand the lower end of the plate thus actuates the levers C, C, forcingdown their lower parts, and throwing inward or toward each other theirupper parts. This movement of the levers C, C, presses the brushes F,and G, against the sides of the shoe, and as the shoe is drawn acrossthe scraper B, the heel overcomes the resistance of the springs E, E,and distends the brushes G, G, which, as they wipe or clean the same,press the other brushesF, F, against the front part of the shoe, whichalso is again wiped as it is drawn between the brushes G, G, the springsE pressing the brushes against it. hen the shoe is removed from thescraper, the springs H, and E, cause the several parts to assume theiroriginal position.

Thus it will be seen that the shoe may be scraped and perfect-lycleanedat one operation by a very simple device, and one not liable to get outof repair, and which may be constructed at a moderate cost.

I am aware that brushes have been applied to and used in connection withscrapers, but not, so far as I am aware, arranged as herein described.Therefore, I do not claim, irrespective of arrangement, the employmentor use of brushes and ascraper.

What I do claim as new and desire to se- .cure by Letters Patent is.

The employment or use of the scraper B, and the brushes F, G, eitherwith or without the brush J combined and arranged to opergteiubstantially as and for the purpose set ort W. L. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses WM. TUSOH, M. HUGHEs.

